


Defiant

by ttfan111robstar1



Series: Little Ludwig [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Accidents, Age Regression/De-Aging, Awesome Prussia (Hetalia), Big Brother!Prussia, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Germany is Ludwig Beilschmidt, Little!Germany, Non-Sexual Age Play, Stress Relief, Temper Tantrums, Thumb-sucking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:15:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26057833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ttfan111robstar1/pseuds/ttfan111robstar1
Summary: Prussia and Germany are expected at a potluck. But when Ludwig gets defiant with him, Gilbert must strive to be patient in order to get to the heart of the matter.
Relationships: Germany & Prussia (Hetalia)
Series: Little Ludwig [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1887196
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	Defiant

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PrinceOfHell00](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceOfHell00/gifts).



> Hey everybody! Thanks for coming back for round two of Little Luddie!
> 
> Sam, this one’s for you. Thanks for all of your support <3
> 
> Translations:  
> Bruder= Brother  
> Brüderchen= Little Brother  
> Schnuller= Pacifier/dummy  
> Ja= Yes
> 
> I hope you guys like the nicknames Gilbert gave Luddie! I sure did!
> 
> Enjoy, all!

Gilbert Bielschmidt quickly took several bratwurst from their place in the heated pan and dropped them into a baking dish, before pouring the caramelized onions in the pan atop them. It smelled heavenly, in his opinion, and would definitely be the best dish at the potluck Feliciano was throwing.  
  
Putting aluminum foil over the dish, he made sure to cover it well, before he set to work on cleaning up the kitchen. It wasn’t too hard, since the skillet was really all that he had to worry about cleaning, but storing away the unused brats and onions was still a bit of a nuisance, considering it meant he had to clean the cutting board.  
  
When the kitchen was cleaned, he went to fetch his brother. They’d need to be going soon.  
  
Peeking into his brother’s office, he saw Ludwig looking over some paperwork with his thumb set firmly into his mouth, gently sucking it as he read. Gilbert nearly rolled his eyes. No matter how insistent he’d been that Luddie should use a pacifier instead of his thumb, somehow his brother seemed insistent that nothing was as good as his thumb itself. Even when he was his adult self now, that thumb always seemed to find it’s way into his mouth.  
  
“Come on, Ludwig. We’re gonna be late to the potluck if we don’t leave soon.”  
  
Ludwig looked up at him, startled, before he spoke. “‘m no’d goin’.”  
  
“You’re not going? What do you mean you’re not going? You want to let Feliciano down?”  
  
“No…” He murmured. “But I h’ve t’ work.”  
  
“Your work can wait a few hours.” Gilbert said. “Besides, you need to eat.”  
  
“I h’ve ‘nacks."  
  
Gilbert let out a huff. “Take your thumb out of your mouth, Luddie. It’s hard to understand you otherwise.”  
  
Ludwig looked to him, as though he was ready to conquer a mountain. “No.” He said, and didn’t remove it.  
  
“Yes. It’s bad for you, and you know it is. And you can’t have it in your mouth at the potluck anyways.”  
  
“‘m no’d goin’.” He said firmly.  
  
“Yes you are. You need to eat something, take a break, and you can finish your work later. But right now, you need to come and go get ready to leave for the potluck. If I have to drag you out the door, I will.”  
  
Ludwig pouted at him. “I don’ like you. You’re mean.” He huffed, before huddling under his desk.  
  
It took Gilbert a second to realize that Ludwig was regressing. There was a brief moment of satisfaction- he _knew_ Ludwig had been pushing it too hard lately- before the dilemma of what to do set in. He couldn’t leave Luddie by himself like this. Feliciano would understand if they couldn’t make it because of that. But what to do about his brother now was more of an interesting question.  
  
“Do you want some time by yourself?” Gilbert asked, softening his voice.  
  
No reply.  
  
“Alright. I’ll be in the kitchen then, if you need me.”  
  
Luddie didn’t answer him. He was too mad. Stupid Gilbert, being mean to him! He shouldn’t have to go if he didn’t want to! It wasn’t fair! And then he got mad at him for Sucking his thumb! It wasn’t his fault it felt so nice.  
  
He nursed away at his thumb, thinking about what had happened. It wasn’t nice for Gilbert to try and make him go. Even if he was hungry. Dinner smelled good, but he couldn’t go out and get it! He couldn’t back down now! If he went out it would make Gilbert right and Gilbert wasn’t right for being mean to him.  
  
He liked it under his desk, though. It was like a little fort. A hideaway to be left alone. It was kinda cozy, even though there wasn’t much room. It was his fort away from big brothers who were mean to him.  
  
He suckled on his thumb for a while, relaxing more and more. He did feel kinda sleepy. His eyes were tired from all his reading. The last thought he had before he fell asleep was that his paperwork needed more pictures to look out so his eyes wouldn’t be so tired.  
  
Gilbert, in the meantime, had called Feliciano, who was incredibly understanding about the situation. Still, Gilbert had felt somewhat bad about the situation, feeling at least partly responsible, and offered to host the next potluck in return. Feliciano, of course, had graciously accepted.  
  
That done, Gilbert was still left to decide what to do with dinner. It was wasteful to not eat the food. He decided to go see if Luddie was hungry when he heard light snoring coming from underneath the desk. Realizing his brother had fallen asleep, he decided not to wake him. He could eat dinner alone for one night.  
  
He got himself a plate of Bratwurst and caramelized onions, and made some mashed potatoes to go with them, and Made Luddie a plate before settling down to eat. Fortunately, it was cool enough to eat right away.  
  
He ate dinner in quiet, something that he wasn’t entirely used to. Certainly there were nights when his brother was working, but usually then he had the radio on or a book to keep him company. But the dish prepared was incredibly messy, with onion drippings and bratwurst drippings, so it wouldn’t have been a good idea to have a book nearby. And although he would have loved the radio playing, he didn’t want to wake his brother before he was ready. That would have almost certainly led to an angry tantrum or a meltdown.  
  
So, he ate in the silence. The din of forks and knives touching plates seemed almost too loud in the house which now seemingly demanded his silence. It was a quiet, contemplative time, and he wasn’t feeling very awesome at the moment. Though he knew logically that he’d been in the right trying to get Luddie to take a break, the words of his brother still stung a little. All the books said the same thing- don’t take it personally. But how could he not? He’d raised the kid from the start and Gilbert had always been the person he’d gravitated toward the most. Even if the words weren’t true, the hurt was there.  
  
Still, he tried to shove his feelings aside. This was no time for that. He could be upset later. Right now, he had to be on his best big brother game in case Luddie needed him.  
  
Pushing his feelings down, he finished with his dinner and decided to have a little dessert. Bienenstich cake wasn’t something he enjoyed too often, but he knew Luddie enjoyed it.

After making the cake, which took a while, baking from scratch, he was at last able to clean up the kitchen. As he was washing the mixing bowl, he heard something. It was almost too quiet to be heard, but his ears had become attuned to listening for that sound over the last few months.  
  
The sound of his brother whimpering.  
  
Turning off the sink, he turned around, expecting to see Luddie there. But no one was there. He thought it was his guilty imagination playing a trick on him, and flipped the water on again, scrubbing the bowl. It wasn’t until he heard another sound that he stopped.  
  
“G’lb’rt?” The sound was a destroyed little whimper that had him flipping off the sink and whipping around with a speed that couldn’t be measured.  
  
Luddie stood there, sniffling with his thumb in his mouth, and a dark stain on his pants.  
  
In the time it had taken for Gilbert’s mind to absorb the image, he’d figured out what had happened.  
  
Immediately, his straight posture softened, and his eyes and voice gentled as he went over to his little brother. “Hey, Luddie. Did you have an accident?”  
  
The way his baby brother sobbed absolutely tore Gilbert’s heart in two. “‘M S’rry!”  
  
Gilbert went right up to him and pulled him into a gentle hug. “Hey, it’s alright kiddo. It happens. How about we get you changed out of those clothes and get you into a nice bath, and have some dinner, hmmm?”  
  
Still sobbing quietly, Luddie nodded, and Gilbert led him to the bathroom.  
  
Gilbert went to the bathtub and started running the water, making sure it didn’t get too hot.

“Okay, kiddo, let’s get you ready for a bath.” He said gently.

“B’ankie?” Came the soft question.

“What, Luddie?”

“B’ankie, P’ease?” He asked, eyes pleading.

“Your blanket is in your room, chickadee.” Gilbert said, gently running his hand through his brother’s slicked hair. “I can grab it for you, but you have to get out of those wet clothes while I do, okay?”  
  
Luddie looked tense for a moment, and so terrified it made Gilbert’s heart break, before he gave a small nod. Gilbert gave him a peck on the forehead in praise for his bravery, before he said, “I’ll be right back” and went to fetch his brother’s comfort item, along with some pajamas to put on after his bath.  
  
When he returned to the bathroom, Luddie had managed to get his trousers and underwear off, but was struggling with unbuttoning his shirt. As soon as Gilbert appeared in his eye line with his blanket, he stopped and nearly snatched it from his brother’s hands, pressing it to his face to feel the soft, luxurious fabric and smell his brother’s scent that lingered there.  
  
Gilbert chuckled. “Better then, Luddie?”  
  
A pleased noise was all the response he got in return, so he took it as a yes.  
  
“You looked like you were doing a good job with your shirt there, kiddo. But do you want a break? I know my hands get tired when I try to undo a lot of buttons.” He said.  
  
Luddie nodded, thumb still in his mouth. “Yes p’ease.”  
  
“Alright. Let’s get those buttons undone and you in the water, chiclet!” Gilbert smiled, beginning to easily undo the buttons on Luddie’s shirt.  
  
When that was done, Gilbert had his baby brother set his blanket near the tub to enjoy later, after several minutes of coaxing, and gently helped his little brother into the tub, and helped to clean him up. He carefully scrubbed the pomade out of his brother’s hair, and as it left, so did any trace of Luddie’s adulthood.  
  
With his hair now softened and fluffier, Luddie’s boyishness became even more pronounced. Had one looked just at his face and not his body, they might have thought they were looking at a small child. The innocence of his eyes, the fluff of his hair, the thumb in his mouth, all worked together to create the illusion of youth. And the fact that Luddie had had an accident like a toddler that hadn’t quite completed potty training certainly helped the illusion along.  
  
When Luddie had been thoroughly cleaned off, Gilbert wrapped him in a fluffy towel and helped him dry off, before helping him into some his pajamas and giving him his beloved blanket. Luddie looked up at him, clearly tired despite his nap, and spoke up.  
  
“Hung’y.”  
  
“I’ll get you dinner in just a minute, kiddo. Why don’t you go sit at the table for me while I finish up here?”  
  
Nodding, Luddie exited the room.  
  
With that, Gilbert made quick work of getting Luddie’s soiled clothes in the wash. He’d have to scrub them later, but for now, having them in the washtub was enough. Then, he went to the kitchen, where he heated up some bratwurst and caramelized onions for his little brother, who seemed deep in thought at the table.  
  
When the food was heated, he set it in front of Luddie, already cut up into pieces, and made sure his blanket was hanging off of the back of his chair so that it was still close by but wouldn't get dirty. After Luddie began to eat, Gilbert spoke.  
  
“What’s bothering you, chiclet?” Gilbert asked gently. It was apparent to him that Luddie was thinking hard on something.  
  
For a second, Luddie didn’t say anything, and Gilbert feared him clamming up out of instinct. Then, after a moment, he spoke.  
  
“Bad dream."  
  
This wasn’t necessarily what Gilbert had expected to hear, and yet he wondered why he hadn’t considered the option in the first place.  
  
“I’m sorry, kiddo. Those aren’t any fun at all. You want to tell me about it?”  
  
Luddie contemplated that for a second, but then shook his head. “’s too scary.”  
  
Gilbert paused a second, wondering if he should press the issue, before eventually conceding that they’d talk about it when the regression was over. “Okay. How about after you have dinner we work to make your day better together, hmmm?”  
  
Luddie looked at him, visibly pleased, and nodded, a hopeful little smile on his face.  
  
Gilbert grinned. “Good! Because your awesome big bruder made you something special for dessert!”

Luddie’s eyes began sparkling at the mention. “Wha’?”  
  
“Bienenstich cake, just for you.” Gilbert smiled gently.  
  
The unrestrained joy and excitement on his little brother’s face was enough to make Gilbert feel like he’d just saved the universe from total destruction.  
  
“Really?!” Luddie’s excitement was infectious, and Gilbert couldn’t help smiling too.  
  
“Yes, really! Would big bruder ever lie to you about your favorite dessert?”  
  
“Never ever.” Luddie said, seriously.  
  
“That’s right! So finish up your dinner and then we’ll have some cake together, alright?”  
  
Luddie nodded, seemingly determined to complete his task to get to his cake. It made Gilbert smile. If only Luddie was this easy to guide all the time.  
  
It didn’t take very long for his brother to finish his dinner after that. Gilbert praised him for eating well, and promised to be back with his cake after the plate was cleaned. While he was washing Luddie’s plate in the sink, however, he found himself taken aback by the feeling of arms encircling him, a face burying itself in his back, and gentle sniffles.  
  
Immediately concerned, Gilbert set the plate down and shut off the sink, before turning around and wrapping his little brother in a warm embrace.  
  
“Hey, what’s the matter, Brüderchen?” Gilbert asked softly.  
  
“I S-Saw-ree!” Came the little sob.  
  
“You’re sorry? What for, kiddo?” Gilbert asked, confused.  
  
“Bein’ mean.” Came the murmur into his shoulder. “Wasn’ really mad at you. Was mad ‘coz I din’ wanna go to the party. Wasn’ ready. Too many peoples. Was mad ‘coz I though’ you wasn’t listening.”  
  
Gilbert felt his heart melt. “It’s alright, Chickadee. I shouldn’t have tried to make you go when you weren’t ready. I just didn’t want you to be alone by yourself. I should have known you were having a hard time. And I’m sorry you thought I wasn’t listening. I was listening, but I was too worried about everybody else when I should have been thinking about what was best for you. I am sorry for that. But even the most awesome big brothers make mistakes. But the great thing about big brothers is that we love you anyways, even on bad days. And I know you’ve had a hard one, and I have too. We’ll make tomorrow better together, okay?”  
  
Luddie sniffled, and nodded. “M’kay.”  
  
“Now, how about we have some cake and read some stories together for the rest of the night, hmmm?"  
  
Luddie gave him a shy smile, and nodded.  
  
So, that was what they did. Luddie enjoyed his cake and soaked up every bit of affection that Gilbert offered him, and Gilbert did his best to give all the encouragement and affection he could manage.  
  
When bedtime rolled around, Luddie looked at him, wrapped snugly in his favorite blanket. “Bruder?”  
  
Gilbert paused in the story they’d been reading. “Yeah, kiddo?”  
  
“Why you don’t like when I suck my thumb?”  
  
“Ahhhh, that. It’s not that I don’t like it, chiclet. I’m glad it makes you feel better. But your thumb has a lot germs on it that can make you sick. I just don’t want you to get sick is all. That’s why I wanted you to try a Schnuller instead.” Gilbert explained.  
  
Luddie seemed to think about this for a little while. “It dun taste good.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Dummy.”  
  
“Aaaaah I see.” Gilbert nodded. “You don’t like it because of that?”  
  
“It feel funny."  
  
“It feels funny?”  
  
“Uh huh. Not right. Too small."  
  
“Too small?”  
  
Luddie nodded. “Ja. I get scared.”  
  
“Scared? How come?”  
  
“Feels like I gonna break it and it hurt me. Dun like that.”  
  
Gilbert paused at that, thinking. “Would you like it more if it fit better for you?”  
  
Luddie shrugged. “I dunno.”  
  
“How about this then, chickadee? If I get you one that fits better will you try and use it more? I just don’t want you to get sick from sucking your thumb, okay?”  
  
“Mmmmm… ‘Kay, Bruder.” He said, snuggling into Gilbert’s side.  
  
Gilbert wrapped an arm around his little brother, giving him a gentle squeeze. He didn’t at all consider himself to be patient, but tried his hardest to exercise it when Luddie was little. Although he wasn’t good at it, sometimes there were benefits to trying it, and this was undoubtedly one of those times. He knew he didn’t always get it right when it came to taking care of his little brother, but for Luddie, his best seemed to be enough. It was easy to forget that in his every day life.  
  
When Luddie fell asleep, he gently untangled his brother’s fingers from his shirt, and went to wash his little brother’s clothes, making sure every trace of his little brother’s accident and bad day was washed away with it. He put them out to dry, and then focused on doing small tasks around the house so that if Ludwig did wake up big tomorrow, he wouldn’t have to worry about them. He supposed that was what it meant to be a good brother- doing a little more than what was necessary for the welfare of the other.  
  
When he finished, he got changed into his pajamas, and crawled back into bed with his little brother, content to hold him for a while. Ludwig would almost never allow it in his adult mindset, unless some godforsaken tragedy hit them square in the face. As such, Gilbert treasured these times. Times where Luddie let his guard down, and they could just be together without worrying about the rest of the world.  
  
Sometimes, his strong-willed, defiant little brother almost seemed like too much to handle. But, in moments like this, it was easy to remind himself that there was almost always something more beyond the surface causing him to act. But the quiet, peaceful moments like these made it easier to remind himself that his patience was rewarded in the end.  
  
Smiling, stroking his little brother’s fluffed hair, Gilbert pulled him just a little closer, and drifted off to sleep.


End file.
